Sniplings

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Equipment

For a bug safari you need the proper equipment

Thursday, May 13, 2010

I remember the utter jubilation the pure unmitigated excitement I felt when my Mother brought my second sister home from the hospital. She was wrapped in a blue bunting that my Mom had used on my sister Cindy and me when we lived in Alaska. I was still two and a half years old so that means my parents had a grand total of three children all under the age of three. And four more brothers were yet to be added all born while we were living in different places. That's pretty fearless. I'm not quite that fearless myself. My Mother was always very thin despite having seven kids. I suppose she never had time to eat. And every day she put on her coral lipstick that went perfectly with her olive complexion. Happy Mother's Day again Mom!

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Cocoon

Once when I was a kid I was out playing in the woods(which is what kids did back in the day before over scheduling)and I discovered what I thought was a cocoon affixed to a branch. I brought it home and put it in a jar. The next day much to my astonishment hundreds of tiny praying mantises had emerged from the egg casing overnight. It was midwinter and I suppose the warmth of the house must have precipitated this praying mantis outburst. The poor darlings were so ravenous and having nothing else to eat in their little jar they were devouring one another. My mother wouldn't let me keep them in the house so I had to let them loose in the freezing cold. I've always felt sad about that.